Leading Without Authority

In April 2015, I was invited to present two workshops on Leading Without Authority at the first Academic Professional (AP) Academy at PCC. APs are the employees who handle student services, administrative and operational functions, some instruction, counseling, and most of the other non-faculty student-facing positions in the college. We are in leadership positions often, but we have little formal authority and are not managers, so there are endless conflicts and questions that arise around “how do I get things done without the weight of formal authority behind me?”

When I was asked to present this workshop, I immediately thought about Servant Leadership (because I enjoy talking about it so much!) but quickly realized it wasn’t quite the right fit. I began researching formal and informal authority, which led me to research on informal leaders, how they gain and maintain power, and myriad interesting tidbits. I also came across writing on Social Leadership, a new framework developed by Julian Stodd, and an approach I find incredibly appealing. I did not get to discuss this new approach in either workshop, but intend to continue my exploration.